Thicker Than Blood
by Slicklizard41
Summary: Old and new friends must team up to uncover who is truly to blame for former Mossad Director Eli David's death. Featuring Auggie Anderson, Annie Walker, Eyal Lavin, Ziva David, Tony DiNozzo, Tim McGee, and Abby Sciuto.
1. Auggie

Auggie sat at his desk tapping a finger on the glass top. He wasn't feeling it today. Everything that could go wrong seemed to be exploding in front of his face today. But at least it was nearly five and he was contemplating asking Annie if she wanted to go for a beer at Allen's.

Things had been a bit strained between them, though, over the last few months… ever since the kiss. His life was feeling like one of those TV shows where the main characters finally admit they have feelings for each other, but they can't be together because the timing wasn't right. They'd talked that night, both admitted they had feelings beyond friendship for each other, but Annie had said there were things she needed to take care of before they could be together.

He'd felt a bit wounded at first, but he'd done his best to be understanding. Auggie wasn't sure what was really going on with Annie, but he had a feeling it had something to do with Simon. She was still reeling from his death even though it had been nearly six months. But, he guessed, losing the person you love as well as almost losing your own life do have a bit of an impact on your outlook on life.

The rolling of wheels across the room make Auggie perk up. "Barber?" he asked.

"Yeah, man?"

"Have you seen my stapler?"

"Oh, dude, I'm sorry. I borrowed it yesterday and totally forgot to put it back." Auggie heard the soft thud of his stapler being set on his desk in front of him.

"Seriously," Auggie sighed. He knew he sounded exasperated, but after the day he'd already had he couldn't keep it in any longer. "How long have we worked together? You need to remember to put my things back where you find them. It's not like I can just go looking around out work space and find my things."

"I said I'm sorry, dude." Barber paused before continuing and Auggie wish he'd kept his mouth shut. He didn't really want to have to explain. "What's going on with you, Auggie? You've been in a really terrible mood these last few days. What? Did you break up with Annie or something?"

"W-what?" Auggie asked, a little nervously.

"You and Annie. You two have hardly talked or hung out in weeks."

Auggie shrugged. "She's been studying up on her new NOC. It's been keeping her pretty busy." Auggie mentally sighed with relief. For a moment he thought Barber had figured out about their not so professional relationship. Auggie really didn't want rumors spreading around the office.

"So, what's bothering you then, man."

"I've been just having a rough couple days," Auggie insisted, trying to brush off Barber's concern. "I dropped my favorite coffee mug in my apartment this morning and have run into a couple walls today… literally and figuratively."

"Tough one, dude," Barber said sympathetically from across the room. "Maybe you should head out early today. Go get a beer." Auggie heard Barber sit back into his chair and roll himself to his desk.

"Yeah," Auggie said. "Maybe I will."

He slipped his headphones back over his ears and turned his music back on. Auggie just needed to finish a few more reports and then that was it. He could call it a day and finally get a start on his weekend. It was supposed to be ridiculously cold and he was looking forward to spending the weekend catching up on some reading.

Auggie was just finishing up his last report when the ping of an incoming email chimed in his ear. He leaned back in his chair, rolled his eyes and sighed. It was never a good sign when he received an email after 4pm on a Friday. He grumbled to himself as he opened the message and began to read.

"You've got to be kidding me," Auggie mumbled and his finger passed over the braille words across his keyboard. "Hey, Barber?" he called.

"Yeah?"

"Is Annie still at her desk?"

Auggie heard Barber wheel his chair out from behind his desk again before answering. "Yep. She's still there. Want me to call her in here?"

"No," Auggie answered reaching for his laser cane. "I'll go to her."


	2. Annie

Annie was tapping her pen on her desk. She had been reading the same documents over and over all day long but nothing was sticking. She was too distracted by her own thoughts. She reached up to her throat and clutched the key dangling from the chain around her neck and bit her lip.

She kept thinking about the kiss between her and Auggie. She should just tell him she's crazy about him and she wants to have something with him. But then her mind would shift and all she can see was Eyal's smile and him asking her to come away with him to Greece.

She dropped her pen on the desk and leaned her forehead into her hand. "Ugh. This is not working."

"What's not working?"

Annie looked up and grinned at Auggie approaching her desk. "Hey, Auggie. It's nothing… just work." She quickly closed the folder on her desk and laid her palms flat. "What's up?"

Auggie tried to put a smile on his face but she could see through it. "We've got a problem, Annie. Have you heard from Eyal recently?"

Her face fell. "No. I haven't talked to him since we last saw him in Amsterdam."

"So you wouldn't have any idea why he would be back in the states?"

"No," she said shaking her head. "I don't have a clue. Eyal's back in town?"

"Yeah, Annie. He landed at Dulles this afternoon. But that's not all. You heard the news a couple weeks ago that the Director of Mossad was killed, right?"

Annie nodded. "Yeah, but what does that have to do with Eyal? He's been out of Mossad for months now."

Auggie propped himself against Annie's desk, lowered his voice, and leaned close to her. "Annie, a friend told me that the Director of Mossad was killed here, on American soil and not just that but here in DC. This isn't common knowledge, but still, two weeks later Eyal's back in town."

Annie felt a little stunned. "Do you think…"

"That he had anything to do with it?" Auggie shook his head and frowned. "No. I don't think so. NCIS is pretty sure they know who funded the assassination, and it's not him."

"NCIS?" Annie furrowed her brow trying to think of what that stood for. "Navy Cops? Why on earth are they involved?"

"Well," Auggie said, "as it turns out, Director David was visiting the Director of NCIS, Leon Vance. Apparently they're old friends. Anyway, Director Vance's wife was also killed in the crossfire that killed David. Oh, and, to top it all off, David's daughter is former Mossad, turned American citizen, and works for NCIS here in DC."

"You're kidding me." Annie's hand went to her temple. She could feel a headache coming on. "Shit. This is a train wreck waiting to happen, isn't it?"

"Pretty much," Auggie answered. "Look, Annie, I got this intel under the table. You've probably got maybe 24 hours at most to figure out if he's part of this or not."

"Okay," Annie said, a little flustered. She quickly picked up the file that she'd been studying and shoved it into the filing cabinet before locking it. "Okay. I'm going." She patted Auggie arm. "I'll call you later."

Auggie nodded as she stood and began to hurry out of the office. "Talk to you later, Walker."

It took Annie only minutes to get out to her car. She quickly checked her phone. No missed calls. She opened her glove compartment and pulled out the spare set of keys she'd stashed in there a couple months before. She'd felt bad at first, keeping a copy of Eyal's apartment keys, but now they were going to come in handy.

She drove at her usual pace from Langley to DC. It didn't take too long for her pull up outside the apartment building. Annie parked her car down the street and jogged back to the building. She pulled her coat tight around her, shivering from the winter chill in the air. She'd forgotten her scarf at home that morning.

Annie stood on the sidewalk for a moment and looked up at the dark widow that belonged to the apartment. She checked her watch. It was just after seven.

She climbed up the stairs and slipped into the building using her spare keys. She then climbed the flights of stairs to Eyal's floor and stopped outside his apartment door. She knocked and waited a few moments before letting herself in.

Annie left the lights off and walked across to the window. It had been a while since she'd last set foot in the apartment. It brought back the memory of the night he'd cooked her dinner.

She walked back to the kitchen and opened the fridge. There was a bottle of red wine waiting on the shelf as well as two glasses and a cork screw on the counter. Annie shook her head and her lips curled in a small smile.

She opened the bottle and poured herself a glass by the dim light of the streetlights shining through the window. She set the glass down on the kitchen table and shrugged her coat off, draping it over the back of a chair. She took a drink from her glass and brought it with her to the sofa. Annie sat down and took another drink before noticing a book that had been left sitting on the coffee table.

Annie set down her glass and picked the book up, studying it. She snorted with laughter and flipped open the book. "Really, Eyal," she said aloud, "spy novels?"

She wasn't sure just how long she'd been sitting there, reading his book, when she was startled by a key turning in the apartment door's lock. She knew exactly who was behind that door.


	3. Eyal

Eyal stood outside his apartment door for a few moments thinking. He'd recognized Annie's car instantly from down the block and he knew that she was waiting for him behind the door. He'd left the bottle of wine to chill and the glasses sitting out to tease her, but in the back of his mind he hoped a little that she wouldn't show that night. He didn't really want to answer the questions he was sure she'd ask. His reasons for being in Washington had nothing to do with her.

He steeled himself and fumbled with the key in the lock. He cursed himself under his breath and opened the door, flipping on the light in the process. "You didn't need to sit in the dark," he called, not looking into the living room.

"Maybe, but I thought it would be more interesting to surprise you."

He raised an eyebrow and glanced at the sofa where Annie was sitting. A sly smile was tugging at her lips as she took a drink from her nearly empty wine glass. "You've had a bit to drink, haven't you?" he chuckled. He picked up the bottle of wine from the counter, noticing that it was already half empty, and poured himself a glass as well.

"Well, I've been waiting a while," she admitted a little sheepishly. "You know why I'm here, don't you?"

Eyal held his glass in one hand and the bottle of wine in the other bringing it join them on the sofa. "You've come to reconsider my offer?" he teased filling the glass in Annie's outstretched hand.

"Very funny," she chided. "Why are you here?"

"To see a friend," he answered simply. "And, look at this, a friend is here waiting for me." He sat down, one arm across the back of the sofa and leaning ever so slightly toward her. He knew he wasn't playing fair. He knew he'd always had a certain amount of chemistry with Annie and now he was using it to try and distract her.

"You're lying," she insisted as he moved a little closer to her on the sofa. "Eyal, stop. I'm not in the mood." She pressed a hand against his chest pushing lightly and he frowned.

"Are you sure? Maybe you need more to drink?"

Annie sighed and glared at him. "I thought we were past all of this."

He took a drink from his glass. "Are we?"

"You're here because of Eli David, the Director of Mossad who was murdered here in Washington a couple weeks ago."

Eyal pressed his lips together and turned away from her stare.

"Did you know him?" her voice was softer. "You're not here on some suicide vengeance mission again, are you?"

He turned back to her wide, anxious eyes and he shook his head. "Like I said, I'm here to see a friend." He removed his arm from the back of the sofa and grasped his glass with both hands. "You should let this go."

"Eyal, I can't. It's only been a few months. You're still on the CIA's watch list. It's only going to be a matter of time before the fact that you're here makes it through all the bureaucracy and someone you don't know starts digging into this." She slid closer and rested a hand on his forearm. "Just talk to me. Maybe I can help."

She was so close he could feel her warmth next to him. He studied her as her smile widened and he found himself returning her smile without even thinking. "Ziva David," he said finally. "We've been friends for many years ever since she joined Mossad. She's like a sister to me and I just need to be here for her."

"I'm not convinced that's all you're here for."

"Well," Eyal's smile widened, "I'm not convinced you're not just toying with me for information." The soft buzzing of the phone in his pocket interrupted his thoughts. He quickly read the message, typed his own message, and read the reply that came a few seconds later. "Now, where were we?" he asked his voice low and soft.

"I think...you were about to refill my glass."

He retrieved the bottle from the coffee table and filled her glass as well as added more wine to his own. He set the bottle back down and draped his free arm across the back of the sofa leaving almost no space between himself and Annie. He leaned just a little closer and smiled his most charming smile.


	4. Ziva

Ziva stepped out of the elevator and looked around. She sighed with relief. The bullpen looked deserted and quiet. Gibbs, McGee, and Tony must have finally gone home for the weekend.

She looked down at her phone and typed as she walked to her desk. "Were you correct?" She pressed send and waited for Eyal's response.

The phone buzzed before she even made it to her chair. She sat down and opened the message. "CIA knows I'm here, but not why."

Ziva let out a small laugh before responding. "Do what you need to," she wrote.

"New man?"

Ziva nearly jumped out of her seat. She jerked her head up only to come eye to eye with Tony. "Just a friend. What are you still doing here?"

"I've had a lot of extra paperwork to do because someone skipped out of the office this afternoon." Tony sat down on the edge of her desk and craned his neck, trying to see what was on her phone.

"I am sorry, Tony. A friend flew in from out of town and I went to the airport to pick him up."

A smile passed over Tony's lips. "A male man? A man friend?"

"Yes, Tony. A man. And he is just an old friend. I've known him since I started in Mossad." She unlocked one of the drawers on her desk and pulled some papers, folding them, and slipping them into her bag.

"Really?" Tony asked curiously. "So you've come back here to pick up some papers and now you're off to spend some more time with your 'old friend'?"

"No, Tony. I'm going home and going to bed." Ziva stood up from her seat and slung her bag over her shoulder. "Maybe you should do the same. You are looking tired."

"We'll, it's been a long couple weeks."

Ziva eyed him for a moment. "Yes it has. Goodnight, Tony."


	5. Tony

"Goodnight, Tony." Ziva turned on her heel and walked off toward the elevator.

Tony watched her go without saying another word and wondered if he should follow her but decided that would be too stalker-like. Instead he returned to his desk and logged back onto his computer. Maybe he could find out who she was meeting this afternoon.

After a few keystrokes he cursed to himself. Computer magic was more McGee's forte. Soon, though, he managed to tap into the department of immigration's database. On a hunch, he did a search for any Israelis entering the country this afternoon.

A few minutes later a list came back. Tony sat back in his chair and scrolled through the names and faces. None looked familiar to him, but that didn't necessarily mean anything.

He laced his fingers behind his head and stared up into the skylight contemplating. Tony had a gut feeling Ziva's friend was in the US for other reasons than seeing the sights. No this smelled like it had something to do with finding Ilan Bodnar. Tony was sure of it.

The question now was if he should involve anyone else. His gut could be completely wrong. This friend could just be in town for some other kind of business all together.

No, Tony thought. It was too much of a coincidence. He let his hands drop to the desk and scrolled through the names and photos once again. Still nothing.

He blew out a puff of air and slipped his cell phone from his pocket and dialed a familiar number. The line rang three times before an irritated voice answered, "Tony, I already told you I don't want to go out for drinks."

"Thats's not what I'm calling about, McGee. I need a favor."


	6. McGee

Tim stood next to his shelves holding his record collection, flipping through them trying to find just the right one to match his mood. When he found what he was looking for, a satisfied smile spread across his face.

The sudden shrill ring of his phone distracted him. Tim set down the record down on the desktop next to the phone and studied the screen. He rolled his eyes and answered the call as he brought the phone to his ear.

"Tony, I already told you I don't want to go out for drinks."

"That's not what I'm calling about, McGee. I need a favor."

"A favor? Can't it wait until Monday? It's been a really long week and I was just about to-"

"No it can't wait. McGee, do you still have that friend over at the CIA?"

"He's more like an acquaintance, but yeah."

"I'm emailing you some names and photos right now." Tim could hear Tony typing in the background. "I need you to find out from your friend if the CIA has anything any of the guys i sent you."

"Hold on," Tim mumbled as lowered himself into the chair in front of his computer. He quickly logged into his email and opened the message Tony had just sent. He quickly scanned the names and photos before asking, "Tony, are all these guys Israeli?"

"What do you think, McGee?"

"Does this have anything to do with Ziva?"

Tony didn't answer a first. "Maybe. I think one of those guys flew into DC today to help Ziva track down Bodnar."

Tim swore. "Are you sure?"

"Mostly. I just saw Ziva and she told me the reason she disappeared this afternoon was because she went to pick up an old friend from the airport that she's known since she started Mossad."

Tim leaned back in his chair. "I don't know, Tony. Don't you feel like we're I trudging on her privacy?"

"If this isn't about catching her father's killer, then we can leave it alone. But until then, just do it, huh?"

"Okay, okay," Tim finally relented. "I'll send an email and let you know what I hear back."

"Thanks, McGee," Tony said just before ending the call.

Tim set the phone down and reached for small black notebook leaning up against the computer monitor. He flipped through a few pages until he found it, the email address of the CIA tech he'd met the year before at a conference. Tim frowned slightly and hoped this was a good idea.

He opened up a new message in his email and typed, "Hey Auggie."


	7. Auggie 2

Auggie woke too early Saturday morning. He immediately checked his phone for messages but there were none. Annie was supposed to call the night before, but she hadn't. Auggie was worried.

He chided himself. She had only gone to talk to Eyal. They were friends. At least that's what Annie kept saying. Sometimes Auggie wasn't all that sure.

He's a good guy, Auggie reminded himself. And it was true. Auggie liked the guy and respected him. He just didn't like how much Eyal cared about Annie.

Auggie padded softly to his coffee maker running his fingers along the counter tops as he went. As he poured the grounds he took a deep breath. A few minutes later, Auggie made his way to his computer, a steaming cup of coffee warming his fingertips.

The humming of the machine waking calmed him and a few more moments later Auggie was signing into one of his personal email addresses. It was one of the many ways he kept in contact with his "friends" all over the world.

He quickly sifted through the messages. Most were of a personal nature, a couple were coded messages that he copied onto a thumb drive before deleting them permanently from the server, and finally there was a message from a Timothy McGee.

Auggie hesitated for a few moments trying to remember where he knew that name from. Then out of nowhere the lightbulb went off. He'd met Tim at a tech conference the year before full of government suits. Auggie had drug Annie with him on her day off so he would have someone to talk to. Tim had introduced himself while Annie had gone to get them coffee.

Auggie had liked the guy right away. Tim had managed to peg him as CIA right away, although Auggie could never figure out how. But since he'd liked the guy, Auggie had handed Tim a card with his personal email on it saying he should contact him if he ever needed anything.

Auggie rubbed the palm of his hand over his face trying to remember where Tim had said he worked. Shrugging, he clicked on the message and let his fingers do the reading.

"Hey Auggie. I don't know if you remember me or not, but you had told me to send you a message if I needed help with anything. I'm sending you a list of people that came into the country yesterday. Can you find out if the agency has anything on any of these guys? If you do this for me, I'll owe you one. -Tim McGee, NCIS"

Auggie frowned. NCIS. He hoped that was just a coincidence but feared the worst.

He opened the attached file and began scrolling through the names. He swore under his breath as he read a familiar name about halfway down the page. Auggie reached for his phone and dialed a number he knew by heart.

The phone rang twice before it was answered. "Auggie, I'm so sorry a didn't call last night.


	8. Annie 2

Eyal was silent behind the wheel. The night before, Annie had managed to convince him to bring her with to meet Ziva for breakfast in the morning. Now, they were both lost in their own thoughts.

Annie wanted to say something, break the silence.

But as she opened her mouth to speak, the shrill ringing of her phone broke her off in mid-thought. She fumbled with her phone, glancing at the caller ID. She swore quietly under breath and answered. "Auggie, I'm so sorry I didn't call last night. I just sort of passed out." Annie desperately tried to ignore Eyal's sidelong glance.

"Annie, we have a problem. Do you remember how I met that guy from ncis last year? I got an email from this morning asking me if the CIA has information on some guys that came into DC yesterday, including Eyal. Where you able to find anything out from him last night?"

"Yes and no," she answered vaguely, glancing at Eyal whose eyes were focused on the road.

"What do mean, Annie."

"I can't really talk about it right now."

For a moment, Auggie was silent. "Are you with him right now?"

"Yes. We're going to breakfast," she quickly added. Annie could almost feel Eyal's eyes curiously watching her.

"Okay. I get it. Just call me later, okay? I'm going to check out the other guys on this list and get back to Tim over in NCIS."

"Okay. I will. Talk to you later." Annie hung up the phone and dropped it in her pocket.

"You know," Eyal said with an eyebrow raised, "you could have told him."

"I don't know what you're talking about," she answered avoiding his sideways glance. "Besides, I'm not even sure what's going on here."

A smile spread over his lips. "We're going to meet Ziva. Nothing to hide there."

Annie's own eyebrow raised and she shook her head. "So, are you going to tell me the real reason we're going to meet with Ziva?"

The muscles in Eyal's jaw tightened and he gripped the wheel for a moment before he sighed. "Ziva and I are tracking her father's killer and I have this feeling that no matter what I do to keep you away from this you're going to get yourself involved. It'll be easiest if I just bring you in right away."

Annie studied him as he maneuvered into a parking space outside of a small cafe in Georgetown. "Okay," she said finally as they both got out of the car. She followed him inside the tiny restaurant and to a table in the back where a woman about her age sat. Her long dark hair was pulled up in a ponytail high on her head.

The woman looked up from the table and her smile widened. She stood quickly and stepped into Eyal's waiting arms. He leaned down and kissed her on both cheeks.

Annie stood, silently, watching as a moment jealousy gripped her chest.

Finally, the woman turned to her. "Hi, you must be Annie," she said, extending her hand.


	9. Ziva 2

Ziva sat waiting at the table in the very back table of the cafe, her back to the wall so she could see as much of her surroundings as possible. It was something she'd picked up forever ago unconsciously from her father. In the past, there were days when she thought of Eli David with great fondness and other days she thought of him with revulsion... and some days she didn't think of him at all.

But, lately, all she could do was think of him.

She looked down at her watch, checking the time. Eyal would be there at any moment with his friend from the CIA in tow. Ziva had become a bit leery of the agency ever since ... Ray, but she was curious to meet this woman. There had to be something fascinating about her for Eyal to leave Mossad over. And, he trusted her, which said something.

She looked up and her smile widened as Eyal gracefully slipped around the other tables and opened his arms to her. The happiness to see her was evident in his smile as she stood and hugged him close.

"Shalom, little Ziva," he whispered in her ear.

Behind him waited a blond woman watching them cautiously. A moment later Ziva extracted herself from her friend's arms and extended her hand. "Hi. You must be Annie."

For a fraction of a second the other woman looked stunned but smiled immediately covering her hesitation with friendliness. "And you must be Ziva," she said taking her hand. Vaguely Ziva wondered what, if anything, Eyal had told Annie about her.

The three sat down and quickly ordered breakfast before beginning the inevitable discussion of how the they were going to manage to track down Ilan Bodner. An invisible hand seemed to clench over her stomach each time she thought of his name.

After the waitress left, Eyal pulled a small slip of paper from his inside coat pocket. He slid it over the smooth table and Ziva picked it up.

"What is this?" she asked.

"It's an IP address," he answered as she unfolded the page. It belongs to a man that my friend believes has been in contact with Ilan as recently as a week ago."

Ziva looked up at Eyal. "Could your friend trace it?"

He shook his head. "He said there was a ridiculous amount of security shielding the IP address and my friend doesn't have the equipment currently to break through that kind of security. We're going to need to find someone with access to more powerful technology."

Ziva nodded and thought she knew who to call.

"Who is Ilan?" Annie asked across the table from Ziva. The other woman wore confusion across her brow.

Ziva raised an eyebrow and glanced at Eyal. He gave her an almost indecipherable nod. He had not told Annie anything yet, leaving the decision of how much to divulge to the CIA woman completely up to her. Ziva appreciated that Eyal had not told Annie anything specific, but she had a feeling that Annie would be able to help.

"Ilan Bodnar," Ziva answered noticing a flash of recognition in Annie's eyes, "is-was the Deputy Director Of Mossad. He was my father's protege and the man responsible for my father's death. He is the man I am looking for."

Annie nodded. "I know someone that could help with tracing the IP address," she offered

Ziva hesitated for a moment before shaking her head. She wasn't sure if she wanted the CIA quite that involved. "No. I have a friend. He will be discreet," at least, she hoped McGee would agree to help. "Let me make a quick phone call. We will have to meet him at NCIS, I believe."

She quickly dialed the number for Abby's lab and brought the phone to her ear.

"Abby's lab," the overly cheery voice answered.

"Abby, I need to talk to McGee."


	10. Abby

Abby paced back and forth, her music not calming her like it usually did. She was nervous, jumpy, concerned. Abby knew the moment she'd answered her phone that morning that something was happening. When Ziva had asked her to go to her lab and wait for a phone call, but it was Ziva asking and Ziva was family.

Abby paced, wringing her hands. Her platform boots clumped along loudly.

"Abby, why are you here on a Saturday?" McGee's confused voice asked from the doorway behind her.

She jumped in surprise and spun on her heel. "McGee! I'm just... I'm not... Why are you here?"

"I came to pick up a USB connector. I didn't think you'd be here. Wait, did Tony call you too?" He raised an eyebrow at her.

"What? Oh no," Abby insisted shaking her head and gesturing wildly. "I just... I was..." She sighed loudly. "Oh, McGee. I can't keep a secret. Ziva called me this morning. She asked me to wait for a call from her in the lab."

McGee frowned and his eyebrows knitted together in concentration. "Ziva called you?" She nodded. "Tony called me last night to check into some Israelis that flew into Washington yesterday. He thinks one of them is here to help track down Bodnar. I contacted a guy I know over at the CIA but I haven't heard back from him yet."

"McGee, I don't like this. We're family. We should be working together."

"I know, Abby," he he said rubbing one hand over his hair. "I should talk to Tony." He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone.

Any snatched out of his hands. "No, McGee! You can't."

"Abby..."

"Let's just wait..."

"Abby!"

"Please..." The sharp ring of the lab phone broke the tension. Abby checked the caller ID and drew in a sharp breath. Her eyes widened and she turned to McGee. "It's her. It's Ziva!"

"Aren't you going to answer it?"

"Oh!" Abby exclaimed, spinning and punching the speaker button on the phone. "Abby's lab," she announced, perhaps a little too cheerily.

"Abby, I need to talk to McGee." Ziva's voice came out clearly over the speaker.

"McGee?" Abby asked nervously. "McGee's not here."

"I know. I know. But I need you to call him. Have him meet you at the your lab. I think I'm going to need both of your help."

"Okay. But what do you need us for?" Abby looked over at McGee, curiously.

"I need you two to track an IP address. I will give you more information when we get there," Ziva quickly explained.

"Umm... We?"

"Yes. Yes. A couple friends will be with me. I will explain everything when I get there. Just call McGee, please."

"Umm... Okay. See you soon?"

"Bye, Abby." Ziva didn't wait for Abby to answer.

McGee's fingers tapped across his phone. "I've got to call Tony." He brought the phone to his ear and listened as it rang. Abby stood next to him, nervously biting her lip. "Tony, it's McGee."


	11. Tony 2

Tony tapped on the car's steering wheel. He hated working a stakeout alone. Even worse, he hated that he was tailing Ziva. It all just felt wrong.

He'd watched from across the street as Ziva entered the cafe and took the table in the back. His curiosity built with each minute she sat there alone, waiting for an unknown someone to meet her. Tony was contemplating confronting Ziva, when a couple strode into the cafe and to her table. The woman was blonde, fair skinned, walked gracefully, and when she smiled Tony had to admit she was pretty gorgeous. The man, on the other hand was tall, dark, and broody-looking until he opened his arms and grinned happily as Ziva stepped into his embrace.

Tony flipped through his print out he'd made the night before until he found the face of the man sitting next to Ziva. Eyal Lavin.

He was still tapping his fingers on the steering wheel and watching as Ziva was setting her phone down on the table when his own rang. He clicked it on and answered gruffly without looking at the caller ID. "DeNozzo," he barked.

"Tony, it's McGee."

"McGee, I'm glad you called," his voice lightening immensely. "I need you to look closely at one of the names on that list. Eyal Lavin. He's the guy that came to see Ziva."

"I'm not calling about the list, Tony."

"We'll, then what is it?"

"Ziva just called. She wants Abby and I to run a trace on an IP address. She's coming to Abby's lab with a couple other people. She said she'd be here soon."

"What?" Tony questioned. He looked over at the group in the cafe just in time to see them stand. "Damn it," Tony hissed. "McGee, I've got to go. I'll see you in Abby's lab."

Tony hurried out of his car mumbling to himself. He crossed the street in a light jog wanting to time it just right. He swung the cafe door open and plastered a grin across his face as he looked directly into Ziva's startled face. "Ziva," he announced, overly cheery. "Fancy running into you here."

"Tony, what are you doing here?" Ziva asked, her voice low. "Are you following me?" She laid a hand on his chest and forced him back out onto the sidewalk.

"What? I don't even get a 'hi Tony' or maybe a 'how are you, Tony'."

"Tony." Ziva's voice was stern and vaguely threatening.

"Hi, special agent Anthony DeNozzo, NCIS," he said, ignoring Ziva's glare and holding his hand out to Eyal Lavin and the blond woman next to him.

The woman smiled, took his hand, and said, "Annie Walker. It's nice to meet you. This," she said gesturing to the man standing next to her, "is Eyal Lavin."

"It's nice to meet you," Eyal said, shaking Tony's hand.

Tony made a thoughtful face. "Israeli?" Eyal nodded reluctantly. "Then you must be Ziva's Mossad friend."

"Former Mossad," Eyal corrected.

"Tony," Ziva said again sounding a bit more irritated.

"So what does that make you, Ms. Walker? Homeland? CIA, maybe?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," Annie answered, a wide smile spread across her face.

"Tony!" Ziva finally spat. She took a deep breath and continued, calmer, "Tony, we do not have time. We need to get going."

"Yes, of course. Abby's waiting for you."

"How?" Ziva gasped. "You are following me. You need to stop this. It is none of your business."

"You're wrong," Tony said as Ziva tried to walk past. "You're my partner, Ziva. Let me help you," Tony insisted, his voice growing soft. "Bodner hurt you and he hurt Director Vance. I want him too."

Ziva looked at him for a long moment before nodding. "Okay, Tony. Okay. We have a possible lead. Meet us at Abby's lab." Ziva turned to Eyal and Annie. "I will call ahead and make sure you get into the navy yard without any trouble."

"Perfect," Annie said. "I know where to go. We'll see you there." She tugged on Eyal's arm and they both retreated to a silver sedan parked nearby. Tony watched Annie as she slid into the passenger seat. He was curious as to how she fit into all this.

"I will meet you at headquarters?" Ziva asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"Yeah," he said turning back to you. "Let's get to work."


	12. Annie 3

Annie rolled the name around in her mind. Ilan Bodnar. The name sounded so familiar. She knew the man had been the deputy director to Mossad, but that wasn't how she knew the name.

"Eyal," she said turning toward him in the drivers seat. He raised an eyebrow but remained silent. "Have you ever mentioned Ilan Bodnar to me before?"

He frowned, watching the road. "I don't think so. I tended to avoid speaking about any of my superiors... To anyone." He shook his head. "And Ilan? We were never friends... Before or after he became the director's protege."

Annie frowned. There was something eating at her, though. She knew the name was familiar to her by she couldn't think of why.

Her phone suddenly buzzed in her hand. Auggie's name flashed on the screen before her eyes and her heart pounded in her chest. She hoped he'd learned something useful. "Auggie." Saying his name felt almost like a sigh.

"Annie, we've got a big problem. Ilan Bodnar? He's linked to Henry Wilcox. Not only do they know each other but they've been in contact as recent as a month ago. This has to go vertical, Annie. This is much bigger than we thought."

Annie swallowed hard. An image of a thick file tucked away and locked in the file drawer of her desk in the DPD flashed through her mind. "Damn it," she said maybe a little too forcefully. "Auggie," she said, quieter this time, "I think you should meet us at NCIS at the Navy Yard. I..." She took a deep breath. "I think I may know something but I'm not sure we should bring this to the agency... Just yet."

Annie turned her eyes to Eyal who was watching her out of the corner of his own eyes, curiously.

"What are you talking about, Annie."

"I don't think it would be a good idea if we talk about this over the phone," she insisted. "Please, Auggie. Just meet us at NCIS."

For a long moment, Auggie was silent on the other end of the line. "Okay, okay. But you are going to tell me what this is all about?" It was less of a question and more like an order.

She nodded holding the phone to her ear. "Yes. Everything." Her voice was small. Annie had made a mistake. She never should have taken that file from Henry Wilcox, or, at the very least, she should have read Auggie in right away. Could the snowball that was building be avoided?

Annie ended the call and clutched the phone between her fingers. She felt like she might be sick.

"Annie, what's wrong?" Eyal asked. His voice was like velvet, soft an soothing; full of concerns.

She turned to him and swallowed. Annie knew the color had drained from her face. "We've got a bigger problem than I thought."


End file.
